According to a recent study that was completed by graduate students at St. Edward’s University, business owners in South Austin do not like the thought of being referred to as “weird.”
While the study itself sounds a little weird at first, it is actually quite interesting. Apparently, the students wanted to know how much small business owners identified with the current “Keep Austin Weird” slogan that has been being used throughout the city. The MBA students managed to uncover some interesting findings – namely, they found that South Austin small business owners aren’t weird. Rather, they are unorganized.
According to the findings, over 70% of the business owners in South Austin did not have a marketing plan in place. In addition, they found that independent business owners in the area felt as if they needed help in order to develop a marketing strategy that would help them keep up with the growth and changing demographics of the South Austin area.
Thanks to the study, many small business owners in South Austin will soon be able to benefit from a free tool that the MBA students have developed. This tool, which is actually an interactive CD will provide business owners with a way to help their businesses become more successful, including providing a marketing plan that can easily be customized to meet the unique needs of the user’s business.
The tool was actually developed specifically for businesses in South Austin and can be easily downloaded to a computer. Some of the information included in the CD includes a list of the industries in South Austin sorted by zip code, demographic information sorted by zip code, an analysis of the local market, a variety of financial analysis tools such as balances sheets, and a troubleshooting button.
